by Hannah Cressman
The Black Lives Matter movement has been heavy on my heart recently. Current events have me simultaneously horrified by the injustice I’ve been blind to my whole life and encouraged by those who bravely fight for equality.
More than ever, I want to do something, anything, to help raise the voices of the marginalized, but COVID-19’s social restrictions have limited the opportunities. However, what if we could use our quarantine hobbies, like baking, as a means of acknowledging and praying for Blacks and other minorities in our community?
Picture some plain ole cookie dough. It’s delicious on its own, but there are so many mix-ins that make the dough even better – chocolate, nuts, candy, etc. Endless variations, and all delicious. I imagine that’s how God views us. He starts with the base dough; everyone is made in His image. Then he adds mix-ins making each of us just a little different but still wonderful in our own way. Try using this thought next time you bake cookies to identify minorities in your life and pray for them specifically.
Mix chocolate chips into your dough as a reminder to pray for the African Americans in your community. It’s not just now that Black lives matter; they have always mattered to God.
Consider adding butterscotch, peanut butter chips, or caramel to your dough, thinking of other minority races. Our neighbors of Asian, Hispanic/Latino, Pacific Islander, or Native American descent are also familiar with unjust discrimination and deserve our prayers.
On a different note, add raisins to your dough, representing the elderly population. If you have kids, use this as an opportunity to teach them the value of age and the blessing that elders can bring. You can also pray for the health and safety of this generation as they remain vulnerable to the virus.
Colorful M&M’s can be mixed in as a reminder to pray for those who identify as LGBTQ. Do you find it hard to respond in a biblical manner to the lifestyle of LGBTQs? If so, remember God used the base dough for them, too. They are created in God’s image and worthy of love. Take time in your baking to ask God to give you the courage to love them as He would.
You can also add nuts for—well, you can probably guess—the people who drive you nuts! Jokes aside, we can all think of someone who has mistreated us, and it doesn’t feel like that person deserves your prayers. Jesus prayed for his enemies, and we should pray for our hard-hearted neighbors.
Make one last cookie with a little bit of everything: chocolate chips, white chocolate, butterscotch, nuts, raisins, M&M’s. Sure, it will look a little messy and weird, but notice how easily all the pieces combine with the dough holding them together.
I’m so thankful, especially now, that through prayer we can make meaningful change even in quarantine. Praying for our neighbors and trusting God to act justly has so much greater impact than we will ever have under our own willpower.
Happy baking, and keep loving your neighbors!
Hannah Cressman is a recent college graduate and has since moved back to Nashville as a young professional. When she’s not figuring out how to keep up with all the new adult responsibilities, she enjoys swimming, game nights with friends, and ruining everyone’s “summer bodies” with her scrumptious baked goods. More than anything, she is humbled to be the subject and personal recipient of her mom’s many prayers.